The DP World Tour continues to pop up everywhere this week with the Italian Open at Marco Simone Golf Club Guidonio, Rome, Italiano.
The 156 field with the top 65 including ties making the cut will all be competing for a share of the €3M prize purse with the winner collecting the Italian Open title and a winner’s cheque for €510,000.
Nicolai Hojgaard returns to defend his crown having won this event in 2021 but will need to overcome world No 2, Roaring Rory McIlroy to have any chance of holding on to his title.
This stunning Marco Simone Golf Club, which will host the 2023 Ryder Cup next year will be playing 7,268 yards long this week, it’s a par 72 parkland track with hazards everywhere including water, trees, sand and tricky doglegs.
This event will be screened on Sky Sports Golf with live coverage starting at 5.30 pm on Thursday.
The weather is forecast to be sunny with thunderstorm intervals predicted from Thursday through to Saturday. Breezes will be gusting at around 20mph on Saturday but Sunday's final round will see the best of the weather with a hot sunny calm day.
So let’s move on with this week's Italian Open betting selections.
Rory McIlroy
For my first and main pick in Rome, I’m going to strongly recommend Rory McIlroy 15/4 EW Bet365. The 33-year-old Irishman looks back in the zone and just seems so relaxed and focused on any golf course at the moment.
The world number two is simply head and shoulders above everyone in this field and if he arrives at Marco Simone with the same swagger he’s had most of this year then the other 155 in this field would be as well going on holiday for the weekend. Rory could make this look like a walk in the park but theirs lots of obstacles in the way for all to negotiate and this may bring him back to the field.
Where do I start with Rory’s accolades? How about I just go back over Rory’s last dozen tournaments, here’s a breakdown. At the last twelve times of asking, all this year, Rory has finished inside the top 20 on no less than eleven occasions.
Wait it gets better, much better in fact.
Nine of those efforts were Top 10 places with seven of those Top 5s, truly phenomenal but come on Rory, it can’t get any better surely. What about the two victories? Winner at both the Tour Championship and RBC Canadian Open, the current FedEx Cup Champion is in a world of his own at the moment and has found a groove that will make him unplayable again. The multiple major champions with a bag full of titles will be the Italian Open Champion this Sunday at Guidonoa with a gladiator performance fit for any Roman Emperor.
Maximillian Kieffer
For my next suggestion on this tricky Italian course, I’m looking further up the field and trying for another 100/1 + winner. For that reason, I’m going to point you all in the direction of Maximillian Kieffer 125/1 EW William Hill. Have the firms gone crazy with this pricing lark, if they have then let’s keep quiet and leave them be.
We will continue to take advantage and while I’m here I’ll inform them where they may have gone wrong when pricing Kieffer. The 32-year-old from Germany won his maiden DP World Tour Title just a few weeks back at the D+D Real Czech Masters. The German should still be brimming with confidence from that victory alone.
With that maiden DP World Tour title in the bag it’s time for Maximum Kieffer to relax and enjoy his game now, he knows he has the quality to win on this circuit now and I see him having as good if the not better chance of winning any event he enters at the moment, better than most in this field. With four runner-up spots before he won the Czech Masters, it’s not as if he hadn’t come close before.
This Marco Simone track can make it look like crazy golf at times and it could all go crazy if Maximum Kieffer doubles up in as many months with yet another title bagging the Italian Open.
Eddie Pepperell
For my next tip, I’m going to recommend a player who’s flashing up on the perimeter of the radar. Eddie Pepperell 80/1 EW LiveScore.bet. This is a football betting site right, they may have got the golf all wrong. 80/1 for Eddie Pepperell who’s had six top 20 finishes at the last seven times of asking?
The very likeable 31-year-old from Oxford comfortably landed our relentless super Banker Match bet NAP again last weekend when he breezed to victory over Alexander Bjork.
With a recent runners-up prize at the Hero Open along with all those Top 20 finishes mentioned above, I’d say any betting slip with steady Eddie’s name has value written all over it.
Having already bagged both the Qatar Masters and the British Masters in 2018, I just have a feeling that Eddie has found his mojo once again and another visit to the winner's podium will happen anytime soon, I mean as soon as this weekend when it’s Pepperell Pizza all round in Italy at Eddie’s victory parade.
For my final selection, it’s the customary match bet and for this week's NAP in Rome I’m going to suggest that Eddie Pepperell does the business yet again so it’s another 5pts Super Banker NAP, this time to beat Victor Perez over 72 holes 10/11 Bet365 Super Banker NAP.
Italian Open Betting Tips
- Rory McIlroy (15/4 EW Bet365)
- Maximillian Kieffer (125/1 EW William Hill)
- Eddie Pepperell (80/1 EW LiveScore.bet)
- Eddie Pepperell to beat Victor Perez (10/11 Bet365)
